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Alan Jacobs mentioned Oliver Burkeman's idea of making a 'done list' rather than a to do list. The idea is not to start the day in "productivity debt" that you feel you have to clear, begin from zero and use it as an opportunity to celebrate everything you achieve rather than risk ending the day still in debt because you didn't get something done.

I think it's a great idea – a different way of framing your activities – and sits alongside gratitude lists, in which you note everything you are grateful for during the day.

I put together a done list on my Journal last night and was pleasantly surprised by what I'd actually done. As Burkeman says, you can set the bar as high or low as you like for what makes it on the list based on your frame of mind and current needs. Just as with the gratitude list, it can serve as a gentle reminder to do the normal day-to-day things if you're down and in a rut. It can also serve as a nice historical reminder.

I think it's something I'll start to do regularly and it's given me the urge to restart my gratitude list. Ideal uses of the Journal.